Nightingale
by Lime Daiquiri
Summary: The plan was to just go out, find the akuma and do their thing; except things rarely go as planned, and now Kanda suddenly has a voice to die for, or at least allow him to attract his very own following of worshippers.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Fic inspired by the dgmkinkmeme prompt: "Kanda's singing voice is incredibly, terribly, _other-wordly_ sexy."

**Nightingale**

**Chapter One**

The inner halls of the Black Order Headquarters were silent, a complete contrast to the chaos that reigned just outside the Black Order walls where a melee of shouting and banging had forced the inhabitants of the Order to close all points of access to the building. By doing so, they had managed to effectively cut off any unwanted intruders as well as any members currently outside the Order building in one swift blow, members who had also been sent urgent messages telling them to stay well clear of headquarters.

The Order could not take any chances, not with the situation they now found themselves in, practically imprisoned in their own safe house, men alert and stationed strategically throughout the Order in case by some mishap their walls were breached. They needed to come to an understanding quickly and put some plan of action into effect as soon as possible, their lives depended on it.

Komui escorted the exorcist through the corridors, the sound of their boots hitting the floor filling the silence; no words were exchanged between the two men. At the end of the last corridor, with no further connecting corridor present their only option was to pass through the great mahogany double doors in front of them. Striding forward confidently Komui pushed open the doors and ushered the young exorcist to precede him, closing the door firmly behind him when he too entered the room.

The room was large, but just how large was a mystery to the exorcist, the dim lighting not allowing him to get a proper look. As if noting the entrance of the exorcist a light switch flicked on and a spotlight shone on the centre of the room, startled the exorcist blinked uncomfortably at the bright light. Komui quickly motioned for the exorcist to take his place in the centre of the room and once satisfied he moved back to stand by the door, leaving the exorcist to stand alone. He was to be a mere observer in the following proceeding with no active role in the Order's interrogation.

In the centre of the room the exorcist stood, his back ramrod straight, staring forward and waiting for his next instructions.

Just when he began to fidget, uncomfortable not only with the eerie silence but also his position as the centre of attention, a voice addressed him.

"State your name." This was the voice of the person who was to be the spokesman of the panel for the duration of the interview; the person the rest of the Order had trusted to question the exorcist properly and enable them to sort out the problem as quickly and effortlessly as possible.

The lone exorcist answered promptly, his voice carrying loud and clear across the room.

"Lavi Bookman"

"Kanda Yu"

"Allen Walker"

Nervous, Allen knew he was standing in front of the panel of Black Order leaders in their raised dais; however the light shinning directly down in to his eyes prevented him from looking up and noticing any distinguishable features of their faces. Instead he settled for staring at their seated figures, partially shrouded in darkness.

He'd been called to account for the mayhem that had befallen the Order and to attempt to explain why it had taken him, Kanda and Lavi so long to return from a simple search and destroy akuma mission, a wake of destruction following in their path that included an angry mob; containing a high priest, his minions, a warlord and a wealthy heiress.

"I can assume you know why you have brought here. We have found ourselves in a very precarious position and you're cooperation is mandatory to our survival. You will recount your actions from when you last left the Order, when you were sent to a city where a large number of akuma were expected to reside. Under normal conditions we would rely on the recordings provided by your golems; however it seems the outside mob is holding both the golem known as Timcampy and Kanda's standard Black Order issue golem hostage.

From what little information we have gathered we can confirm that while the former is being held as a prisoner the latter, though similarly contained, is revered by the hoard. Please bear in mind in your account that while we wish to hear the full details to the best of your ability we are only concerned with the events that are vital to the current situation. Begin." At the figure's command Allen took a deep breath, thinking back several months he began to recall the events that had led him and his fellow exorcists on a rather exceptional escapade.

"After Kanda, Lavi and I were assigned our next mission, we left almost immediately wanting to deal with the akuma quickly. We travelled by train and arrived in the town three days later. Upon arrival we found an inn to spend the night and then proceeded to investigate the city. It was easy to scout the town using my eye, but due to the number of akuma present in the town we thought it best to lure the akuma out somewhere where the chance of civilian casualties would not be necessary. So we created a ruse so that the akuma would mistakenly believe we had found an Innocence fragment and follow us out of the town and into the nearby woodland.

It worked well enough, most of the akuma followed us and we decided if the ones left behind didn't follow at the sound of our fight then we could easily return to the town to finish them off once the majority had been dealt with. Furthermore we were able to move a couple of miles away before the akuma started to attack. At this point I lost track of Kanda's movements, though I could still see Lavi a fair distance from my own position as we all threw ourselves into the fight, concentrating on purging the akuma. Everything was going according to plan." Stopping Allen grimaced at the memory of the next sequence of events.

"What happened next?" Impatient with the delay the Voice urged the exorcist continue with his account.

"I heard a scream. Coming from the children hiding behind a tree." Kanda answered tersely, standing stiff, the ordeal from start to finish having been particularly hard for him, compared to the other two exorcists. The fact that he was forced to speak through a contraption that Komui had made shortly after their return to the Order emphasised his continuing torment.

"There were children present? I thought you had left the towns people a safe distance behind?" Asked the Voice.

"We had, except we hadn't anticipated anyone attempting to follow us. They were just some kids from the town, I had noticed them hanging around our inn but thought nothing of it at the time. They'd obviously also overheard our ruse and were on the look out for some adventure and with all of us too focused on the akuma to pay them any attention they'd ended up in the middle of the battle with an akuma about to attack." Lavi could recall the past events clearly, he was a Bookman after all and the image of the kids appearing in the middle of their ongoing battle still sent a shudder down his spine.

"Were they injured in the fight?" The Voice asked, slightly concerned.

"No. I tried to get to them in time, but even as I was running towards them I knew I wouldn't make it, so thinking quickly I shot at the base of a tree, I hoped to stall the akuma to give me some more time to get to the boys." Before Allen could continue, his account was interrupted by the Voice.

"Why didn't you just shoot the akuma." The Voice inquired, seemingly unimpressed by his actions

"I did not have a clear shot and I didn't want to take any chances. Unfortunately the woodland did not provide a clear view of my surroundings and so I also did not see Kanda, who having also heard the boys' shouts was moving towards them from the other side. So when the tree fell, knocking the akuma aside, a falling branch struck Kanda's side. Racing over I quickly assessed the situation.

The boys were scared but otherwise unharmed and while Kanda was not seriously injured he had been winded by the collision. Deciding I needed to get the boys somewhere safe and give Kanda some time to recover, I managed to get the boys to follow me as I dragged Kanda away from the fight." Allen was firm in his judgement of the situation and would still argue that he had made the right decision at the time.

"You left Lavi behind? What was he doing?" The Voice asked.

"I had seen everything that had happened but I was much further away from the boys and was dealing with as many of the akuma as possible while Allen and Kanda went to save them. Understanding what Allen intended to do I managed to create a diversion and draw the attention of all the akuma on to me, I knew I would be able to manage fighting the akuma on my own for a while, long enough to give Allen some time to get the boy's away, I knew he would come back to deal with the akuma as soon as he had taken them out of the fray. Except…" Lavi answered honestly, he had supported Allen's actions wholeheartedly and would defend their actions if the Order chose to call them on it.

"Except?" The Voice was now rather curious as to what had led the exorcists away from their original goal.

"Except I heard something; a sound that was calling to me through the woods. The boys had heard it too and we were all entranced, moving seemingly without our own will towards it. I can't really explain what the sound was, but I was filled with a sense of warmth and fulfilment. Feelings that were growing stronger the closer we moved to the source.

Bursting into a glade, the sound was heavenly, so beautiful I wanted to fall to my knees and cry tears of joy, the boys immediately falling to the ground in awe beside me. Lowering Kanda to the ground I moved closer and closer until I found the origin of the sound." Allen was still in awe of the sound he had heard back in the glade, although he could no longer remember the sound itself he could still feel a shadow of the effect it had had on him.

"What was it?" The question shook Allen out of his reminiscence and he answered promptly.

"A mushroom."

"A mushroom?" The Voice sounded confused.

"Woodland fungi, growing at the roots of a large tree. When I plucked it from the ground the sound dampened immediately and looking closely I managed to ascertain that a small Innocence fragment was imbedded in the stalk.

It was at this point, broken from the trance of the mushroom, I noticed, in surprise, Kanda standing beside me. Having recovered as soon as I lowered him to the ground, he had also been attracted closer by the sounds coming from the mushroom. However when I stood up with the fungi, Kanda had also come back to his senses. Angry that we had not dealt with the akuma we shared a heated exchange." Recounted Allen

"You had an argument. In the middle of such a serious situation?" the Voice was shocked by the actions of some of the most important members of their organisation.

"The moyashi was being irresponsible and stupid, he should have stayed and dealt with the akuma, he needed to be reminded of what he was supposed to be doing when we went on missions." Kanda responded gruffly.

"What happened next?" The voice ignored this misdemeanour, prompting the exorcist to carry on.

"So while we were arguing I heard a strangled cry, reminding me about the boys, shaken and scared nearby, though Kanda otherwise occupied didn't notice. I knew the akuma would be close behind, especially if they had sensed the Innocence as we had. I was looking at the boys, thinking I need to protect them, and I also needed to get back out there and help Lavi, especially since Kanda had already been injured I would need to pick up the slack. So while these thoughts flew through my head, with Kanda shouting over me, the scared boys nearby and the sound of the approaching akuma I may have panicked." Allen spoke becoming more embarrassed as he continued, a faint patch of red colouring his cheeks.

"You panicked? Even though you are a trained exorcist and have been doing this job for many years?" the Voice was shocked.

"Um, yes. I only wanted to shut Kanda up so I could go back to the akuma before they could reach the glade. So I may have accidentally, on purpose, shoved the mushroom into Kanda's open mouth." Allen spoke sheepishly, lowering his eyes to the floor.

"And then?"

"And the Kanda may have, in shock, accidentally swallowed." Allen's eyes remained glued to the floor as he revealed what would become the heart of all their forthcoming problems.

-TBC-


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Next chapter, yay! Thanks for reviewing!

**Nightingale**

**Chapter Two**

A stunned silence filled the room for a few moments, the whole panel staring down in shock at the exorcist, several of their mouths hanging open in surprise. Only Komui, standing by the door, seemed to be taking everything in his stride, as if things like this were a regular occurrence in his line of work.

Recovering quickly the spokesperson of the panel was eager to continue on with the interview.

"Kanda swallowed the Innocence?" The Voice was incredulous, the sounds of shocked whispering rising from the rest of the panel.

"Not by choice! It was all the stupid moyashi's fault!" Kanda replied angrily.

"So how exactly did that result in the situation we now find ourselves in?" Taking a moment to allow the whispering to subside, the Voice urged the exorcist to continue.

"Um well that's rather a long story." The exorcist spoke truthfully.

"Start talking"

"I tried to hold off the akuma as long as possible, but it wasn't long before I was starting to fall back due to the number of akuma who were focussing all of their attacks on me. Still I continued to fight but was slowly moving backwards in the direction that Allen had taken off in. I hoped that Allen would soon rejoin me.

Focusing completely on fighting the akuma I was shocked when I felt a sudden wave of harmony wash over me, but just as soon as I had registered the feeling it was gone. Although I was slightly disconcerted by this I noticed that whatever had passed over me had also affected the akuma and as they remained frozen in shock, as if held in a trance I managed to finish them off effortlessly.

Even though I was relieved that I was able to take care of the akuma so easily I was also confused at what had just occurred and worried that Allen and Kanda had encountered some problem. So I hurried to catch up with them." Lavi recounted dutifully to his audience.

**xxxxx**

Panting in exhaustion from fighting the akuma Lavi quickly resized his hammer and ran through the woodland in search of his fellow exorcists, concern for them spurring him on. Hearing a slight noise coming through some foliage, Lavi headed in that direction, running straight into the clearing where the other exorcists were situated.

Still on alert, Lavi surveyed the area for any sign of imminent danger, his hammer griped firmly in his hand in case he needed to jump into action. However, catching sight of his companions, the redhead could only stare in disbelief with his mouth hanging open in surprise at what he was confronted with.

To one side of the clearing Kanda clutched at his throat in shock, gasping and flailing about gracelessly. Nearby Allen stared at the flailing man in disbelief, his hand hovering in mid-air. A few metres away the four boys from the city were huddling together, still afraid of what would happen to them next, and looking at the exorcists with trepidation.

Continuing on in this fashion for several moments Kanda finally stopped spluttering, although he remained gulping irregularly in discomfort. Looking up, the irate exorcist glared threateningly at the white-haired exorcist in front of him, before opening his mouth, intending to scream his fury at the younger man. Yet the sound that did emerge from between the man's lips, while still the words he wanted to say, were sung out in a melodious tune by the voice of an angel.

No one was more shocked by this then Kanda himself, who stuttered at his first words, almost choking on them. However, his anger was quick to return and his glare intensified as he opened his mouth to voice his new complaints.

"What the fuck have you done to me, you stupid fucking moyashi, I'll kill you for this!" The sound of Kanda's voice becoming more passionate as his rage grew over his current situation.

However from the first note that had been sung, Kanda's audience was in awe, paying no heed to the vitriol in his words. Instead they gazed at the man in admiration, smiles of delight gracing their faces.

Kanda, noticing that the exorcist in front of him who should have been cowering in fear was staring at him adoringly, took a small step back, although he continued to verbally express his anger.

"What the fuck do you think you're looking at, asshole? This is you're fault! You worthless exorcist, can't even do your own job properly, you should never have been allowed in the Order!"

Still the younger exorcist persisted with his look of adoration, a completely unexpected response not only to Kanda's angry speech but also the fact that the exorcist was singing, which further enraged the Japanese exorcist. Stopping his song, Kanda took a deep breath to recharge his lungs.

However during this short break, having been released from the charm of Kanda's voice, understanding quickly overcame Allen and he lunged at the older exorcist before he had the chance to ensnare him again with his voice.

Clamping his hand over Kanda's mouth with barely a second to spare Allen soon found himself struggling to maintain his hold. While Kanda, infuriated by the hand, was trying with all his might to escape the other exorcist's hold, distorted humming emerging from under Allen's hand.

"Kanda. Stop! Shut up, just shut up!" Desperation clouding Allen's actions, his explanation was obviously less then satisfactory, for the exorcist in his hold and for their audience. Therefore, unsurprisingly, Kanda choose to pay no heed to the younger exorcist's incoherent ramblings, and instead fought harder to break free.

Allen, trying to keep his hand firmly on the other exorcist's mouth while dodging Kanda's hands, was soon losing the battle and he was sure he would be covered in bruises for all his trouble. Swinging around to avoid another punch Allen, with a sigh of relief, finally noticed that Lavi had managed to catch up with them in the clearing and called out to him for help.

"Lavi quick, get over here! Must. Not. Let. Him. Speak!" Blinking in confusion Lavi was slow to react and looking at his fellow exorcists he wasn't sure if he was supposed to take Allen seriously or just laugh. Although he was impressed that the young exorcist was managing to talk between Kanda's punches, a talent that previously was only used by Lavi himself.

"What the-. Allen, we all know that Kanda rarely has anything nice to say and he should just keep quiet, but covering his mouth like that isn't very nice either." Lavi said as if he was talking to a young child and if Allen hadn't been using all of his attention to hold back Kanda he would have thrown Lavi a glare. However all he could do was try to make the situation sound as dire as possible in the hopes that it would prompt the red-head in to immediate action.

"Lavi! I need you're help! Kanda swallowed the Innocence fragment!"

"So you are planning to retrieve it from his throat, wouldn't it be easier to wait till he shits it out the other side? Besides even I'm not stupid enough to stick my hand in his mouth, it would be like walking up to a lion and then saying 'please enjoy your meal'" Unfortunately for Allen it wasn't often that Lavi got to see another exorcist trying to avoid Kanda's fists of fury and was quite enjoying the show.

"LAVI! He's about to kill me! So help me calm him down and then I'll explain!" Allen cried out in despair.

"Fine, but I hope you know moyashi, I will blame everything on you."

"Fine. Whatever. Just hurry up." Sighing in exasperation at the younger man Lavi walked briskly up to his companions, not even bothering to resize his hammer he gave one sharp knock to Kanda's head, temporarily incapacitating the man.

Wide-eyed with shock while trying to catch his breath Allen nursed his bruises over Kanda's still figure.

"Is he still alive?" Allen asked tentatively. In complete contrast to the concern on the younger exorcist's face, Lavi didn't even bat an eye at Kanda's slumped form before answering the white-haired exorcist.

"Don't worry about it. Kanda's got a hard head. He'll be fine; he'll probably want to kill us both when he wakes up though. It's probably in our best interests if we confiscate Mugen for now." Throwing Allen an encouraging smile Lavi patted the younger exorcists shoulder before entreating him to explain why he had just knocked out their fellow exorcist.

"So, explain. And this better be good; I've got a hammer and I'm not afraid to use it." Waving his hammer lazily in the air, Lavi smile grew slightly more sinister.

Allen, smiling nervously, edged away slightly before he began to recount the previous events.

"After leaving the akuma we ended up here by following an angelic melody and discovered that an innocence fragment inside a mushroom was the cause of the sound and—" Allen's explanation, however, was cut off abruptly by Lavi who was grinning wholeheartedly due to Allen's story so far.

"Wait, wait…a mushroom sang to you?"

"Umm, yes."

"Right. Good. Well, carry on." Still grinning Lavi gestured for Allen to continue.

"Due to a series of unfortunate events the fragment ended up in Kanda's mouth…and then in his throat. And it has become apparent to me that when Kanda tries to speak the innocence seems to be manipulating his voice into song with the same enchanting melody that brought us here in the first place." Hearing the story coming from his own mouth, Allen cringed in embarrassment.

"This sounds completely stupid doesn't it?" Allen sighed.

"Yes. But completely possible. Exactly how did you come to the conclusion that the innocence that Kanda swallowed has some sort of enchanting power?" It was obvious that Innocence was responsible for Kanda's new musicality but Lavi needed to know if that meant he was also now able to enchant them with his voice.

"Well a second before Kanda started to sing I was completely in favour of running as far away as possible, and then suddenly I just wanted to bask in the glory of Kanda's voice."

"Are you sure that was due to the innocence?" Lavi asked again, just to make sure that Allen was completely certain he was entranced by the Innocence and not merely Kanda's voice.

"It was exactly the same feeling that overcame me when I heard Kanda sing and when I was listening to the mushroom." Allen replied vehemently trying to convey just how serious he was being, yet the other exorcist was still managing to smile.

"So basically, you're comparing Kanda to a singing mushroom, and they both make you feel special?" A little uneasy with Lavi's wording, Allen nonetheless threw the other man an exasperated look and nodded his assent.

Finally lowering his hammer Lavi took a moment to think over the evidence presented before him before adding his own experience to Allen's theory.

"That does explain why my need to laugh and point was overtaken by the sudden urge put my hands in the air and sway to the music. Well first things first, I'll grab Mugen and you go sit on Kanda before he wakes up."

-TBC-


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N: Next chapter! Thanks for reviewing!

**Nightingale**

**Chapter Three**

It had taken some time for Lavi to convince Allen that sitting on top of Kanda would be a good idea, but he had done it, and so the younger exorcist had perched hesitantly on the unconscious form. That was until Lavi had looked up after securing Mugen to his belt and given Allen a look of pity while informing him that if he didn't try harder he would be dead as soon as Kanda woke up, even without Mugen.

Slightly scared by the prospect Allen used the ribbon around his neck to tie Kanda's hands together behind his back while Lavi helpfully removed his bandana to gag Kanda, to prevent him from opening his mouth and singing. Once satisfied with his work Allen had sat back down, this time with a firmer hold on his captive. At which point Lavi gave Kanda's head a fond pat before walking off to retrieve the boys who were still staring at them wide-eyed and feeling very wary throughout the whole process.

It was some time later before Kanda woke up and when he did he was unsurprisingly bubbling with fury and attempting to bring the wrath of several level 4 akuma down on his companions. Except his attempts were being severely impeded by several things; that he was lying face down on the ground with no Mugen in sight, having his hands tied behind his back, a rag in his mouth and a small white-haired freak sitting on his back.

Allen, who had forgotten he was even sitting on Kanda as they had been waiting quite some time for him to wake up, hastily sat up from his relaxed position when he felt the first jolt of movement from the prone body. Barely a second later and Allen was using all his might to hold the man down, wishing he hadn't listened to Lavi's plan.

During Kanda's slumber, after Lavi had managed to lure the boys out of hiding and then scold them for their actions which had led them into such a dangerous situation, they had decided that it would be best if they returned to the town when Kanda woke up. Now that the man was back amongst the living and Allen was again forced to battle with Kanda's angry struggling that very nearly threw him off completely, Allen kind of wished they had just dragged him back with them when he was still unconscious.

Therefore with his hands completely full he left the talking to Lavi who was ignoring Kanda, for the time being, in favour of telling the kids a joke about a raccoon and a beaver.

**xxxxx**

"What were you thinking?" Lavi was often asked this question and so felt no shame in his actions despite the accusatory tone of the question asked.

"I was trying to get the kids to relax a bit, it looked like they were seriously about to wet themselves at any moment, so I thought; 'Kanda's not going anywhere and I've got Mugen tied securely to my belt'". Lavi explained.

Hearing no further objections Lavi assumed while the panel were not particularly happy with his plan of action they understood his somewhat skewed logic and so he continued his report.

"Besides I didn't leave him waiting for long. When I was done with my joke I calmly and eloquently explained the situation to Kanda." Lavi hoped that by making his account as simple as possible there would be less incriminating evidence later, and it wasn't like Kanda was going to be telling anyone what had really happened.

"That's all you have to say on this matter?" questioned the Voice.

"Yes" the exorcist replied bluntly.

"Are you saying that you do not remember anything that happened from the time when you fell unconscious to when you were already back in the town?"

"Yes." Kanda replied tersely, all the while sending a fierce glare in the direction of the panel, daring them to even risk further questioning into the matter.

"Are you sure you remember nothing else?"

"Not really, like I said, Kanda woke up some time later after he had been unfortunately knocked unconscious when he stepped forward and tripped over a rabbit, shocked by the small animal he was unable to catch his balance and fell backwards hitting his head on a tree. Then Lavi explained that we were going to take the boys home and then try to figure out what to do about the innocence fragment. Kanda agreed to the plan and we all returned to the town." Allen nervously tugged at his coat sleeves behind his back as he recalled the events.

"So then why was Lavi holding Kanda's sword?"

"…just to be safe, in case Kanda fell over again and stabbed himself." Allen's smile was forced, but that was the best he could do at this moment in time.

"Right…" The Voice didn't sound particularly convinced by his story.

**xxxxx**

Lavi reassured the boys once more that they would soon be going back to the town shortly, before he finally turned his attention back to the restrained exorcist, a look of unholy glee dominating his face as he moved closer to his fellow exorcists.

His presence however was being completely ignored by the long-haired exorcist who was angrily attempting to throw the younger exorcist off his back and shout obscenities around the rag in his mouth. This didn't faze Lavi in the slightest.

"Hey Yu, you've got your hands tied behind your back with my socks and why yes that is Mugen tied to my belt, doesn't it look pretty?" Kanda's response was immediate, his struggle with Allen coming to a stand still as his head snapped sideways to glare at Lavi instead, looking first at the man's clothed feet and then at his sword. A second later he wiggled his toes in disbelief before he attempted to worm his way towards Lavi, glaring angrily at the smirking exorcist.

It had been after some careful consideration that they had declared that Allen's ribbon was no where near strong enough to hold Kanda and so a make-shift rope was quickly formed using their socks, all of their socks. Allen, given the task of extracting Kanda's socks, had genially replaced Kanda's boots when he was done; not an easy feat. His pains, however, were lost on Kanda.

"aaammmnh mmn graargmmmhh!" Kanda continued to mumble furiously and although he struggled valiantly he was no closer to killing the other two exorcists then when he had woken up.

Figuring that they had wasted enough time while waiting for Kanda to wake up Lavi ignored Kanda, talking over his angry growling.

"So the Moyashi thinks the Innocence has done something to your voice which has an odd effect on anyone who hears you talk, sing, actually, which means you need to stay silent until we figure out what to do, but first we have take care of those kids, are we clear?" Noticing that Kanda had merely increased his volume Lavi frowned and lowered himself beside Kanda's head. Reaching out he grabbed at Kanda's cheeks, stretching and squeezing them.

"Ne, Kanda, you aren't even listening, this is very important information. Stop trying to kill us and we can get moving." Still Kanda's indignant squawks persisted and so sighing in exasperation Lavi let go of the other exorcist's cheeks. Rising to stand he folded his arms and looked disappointedly down at Kanda.

"Fine have it your way, but I'd like to point out that we've already taken your socks and Mugen, what else do you want to loose?"

A few minutes later and Kanda glared fiercely but silently at anything that caught his eye while the other two exorcists tried to catch their breath from laughing so hard.

Still on the ground, his clothes were still intact, in spite of Lavi's recent threat; however his hair was another matter entirely. Instead of his usual ponytail Kanda now favoured uneven and very messy plaits, intertwined with randomly placed foliage. To finish off his new look, wildflowers twined around each other into a wreath sat on the top of his head with a few more flowers tucked haphazardly behind his ears.

When finished with wrecking Kanda's hair, Lavi had brandished a mushroom in his face and given him one last chance to agree to be quiet and walk back to town with them calmly before the red-head would start shoving the mushroom up his nose. Adding that if he agreed now his hair would be restored to its usual style rather then later when he might not be so lucky, and so reluctantly Kanda had agreed.

Nodding his head stiffly and biting down hard on the rag in his mouth to swallow back the shouts to show that for now he would cooperate with them. A minute later and Kanda was valiantly trying not to attempt an attack. Realising that if it wasn't for Lavi's bandana he would have bitten off his tongue in his effort to stay quiet as he was forced to sit quietly while the other two exorcists admired their handiwork.

Finally, when Lavi managed to gain control of himself and was no longer bursting into fits of laughter every time he so much as glanced in Kanda's direction he picked himself up off the ground and looked at his hand.

It was with a little bit of sorrow that Lavi finally tossed aside his harvested mushroom but at least he'd managed to play with Kanda's hair. Sighing despondently he then kneeled down beside the irate exorcist and took a moment to properly imprint the image of Kanda firmly in his mind before he forlornly began to pull the slightly squashed flowers from Kanda's hair.

Once the plaits were untwisted and Kanda's hair now foliage free, the group quickly retraced their steps, the two cheerful exorcists keeping a constant lookout for any lingering akuma. Kanda, on the other hand, spent the whole journey glaring mutinously at his companions, and while it had no effect on them the boys tried to walk as far away from him as possible.

-TBC-


End file.
